Valencia puts on a classic performance in 5-1 victory over Hart

If there's such a thing as a sophisticated baseball performance, then Valencia put on a show worthy of royalty on Friday afternoon. The Vikings made a smart and calculated effort in their 5-1 Foothill League victory over Hart, and it was the best single-game performance I've seen from a team all season.

Timely hitting, mixed with a healthy dose of superb fielding, translated into what Valencia Coach Jared Snyder described as "our best game of the year."

Pitcher Robbie Mousselli looked strong and, more importantly, didn't panic once runners got on base. He gave up 10 hits in his complete-game performance, but the Josh Corralles-Christian Lopes-Taylor Dingman-Matt Higgins diamond connection had his back, turning three double-plays. As a result, Hart couldn't find any offensive rhythm.

I realize Michael Montgomery didn't have the kind of performance that will go down in Hart baseball lore, but even he couldn't have come out a winner with only one run on the scoreboard. The primary reason behind the Vikings' victory was their ability to play smart and with a level of intensity that Hart didn't come close to matching.

Of course, Hart made more than a couple mistakes. Overthrows on stolen base attempts, passed balls and walks played big role in its downfall. Valencia's Travis Amerian scored three runs thanks, in part, to his four stolen bases. In addition, Lopes scored the Vikings' final run by reaching base on a walk and advancing to third on two bad pickoff throws before scoring on a wild pitch.

The Vikings simply out-worked their cross-Valley rivals in Round 1 of this duel. It'll be interesting to see how Hart responds next month, when these teams meet again.

Here's what Snyder had to say about the big game:

And here's Hart Coach Jim Ozella's take:

-- Austin Knoblauch